Winter - Classical MileEnd Alpacas

News Alpaca on the Menu
Alpaca on the Menu
www.laviande.com.au
Australian alpaca meat will be on the
menu at Adelaide’s Hilton Hotel for
the first time early this year. Simon
Bryant, executive chef, has created
several dishes for the meat they call
Viande. 'It is one of those freak meats
that is high in protein, low in fat and
sodium. I know alpacas are cute but
it’s time to get real about the future of
farming in this country'
The man driving the Australian
alpaca industry’s move into the
meat market is Steve Ridout who set
up the LaViande company. He has
been working with the Australian
government’s Rural Industries
Research and Development
Corporation and Ausmeat to create
a carcase and cuts specification for
alpaca meat.
Dr Ian Davison, chairman of the
Australian Alpaca Association, writes
in the LaViande brochure:
‘Increasingly the focus is on
accelerating genetic improvement,
aiming for improved fertility, higher
fleece weights, finer fleece, and robust
animals with higher carcase weights.
Whilst the market has focused on
stud sales during the establishment
phase of the industry, there is
increasing emphasis on production
traits as the industry moves towards
commerciality. Ultimately, as in their
native home of Peru, alpacas will be
bred for fleece, meat and skins, and
Australia seeks to position itself as
an international market leader in all
production traits.
The alpaca is highly suited to the
Australian climate and environment,
arguably much more so than the
sheep. It is a very efficient browser
and grazer, estimated to be 30%
more efficient than sheep in feed
conversion, and does well on native
grasses and unimproved pasture.
Like its cousin, the camel, it can
tolerate drier climates better than
most livestock, and its soft padded
foot produces minimal compression
and compaction on Australia’s fragile
soils.'
Australia now has a national herd
of nearly 100,000 alpacas with over
1200 registered studs and 1500
registered breeders and the industry
is 20 years old.
Steve Ridout explained that up until
now the alpaca business had been
fleece driven but growers were looking
for new income streams. He writes:
‘It has been a lot of hard work in the
early stages learning the food industry
ropes, pitfalls, marketing techniques
and many other issues to get to a
"The meat is said to be like a very tender veal
with no game taste at all and a buttery texture.
It is a versatile meat to cook with and is best
eaten rare but lends itself to a variety of dishes
including sashimi."
launch stage. We recognised that the
industry really required a business to
start up to ensure that the lower end
of the market was supported which in
turn benefits all growers alike. This
timing coupled with the drought here
in Australia, lower prices for lesser
stock and high feed costs forced the
industry to really take a look at where
they were headed. The industry is
maturing and has now got to a stage
where we are no longer a cottage
industry and have to move forward
into a commercial industry where
meat needs to be an option. LaViande
is not for everyone, there are those
who ventured into alpacas as a hobby
or lifestyle farming. This concept is
fine for those who choose to do it,
however as the numbers and quality
have grown across Australia the meat
industry will make this a viable, long
lasting enterprise’.
In July last year LaViande held a
successful Chefs Round Table event
at the Meat and Wine Company in
Darling Harbour, Sydney, where
chefs and wholesalers tasted the
products that the Hilton chef Simon
Bryant had been working on for
the previous eighteen months.
They signed an exclusive wholesale
agreement with Game Farm who
market a range of exotic meats in
Sydney and Queensland.
The meat is said to be like a very
tender veal with no game taste at all
and a buttery texture. It is a versatile
meat to cook with and is best eaten
rare but lends itself to a variety of
dishes including sashimi.
The alpacas that are slaughtered
are up to 18 months old and at the
moment growers can expect to be
paid 100AUD$ a head although it is
hope that this will rise once demand
increases and other markets open up.
Steve Ridout has been travelling
around Australia giving a presentation
to interested breeders about
LaViande. These talks have attracted
a wide variety of people with very little
negative feedback.
He says:'This is a high quality
product with health benefits and
environmental pluses. It commands
a higher price and is designed to be
sold through restaurants and gourmet
outlets.'
10 Alpaca World Magazine Winter 2007 / 08